‘Very severe heatwave’ grips 7 districts, says BMD
Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) today said Jashore, Kushtia, Chuadanga, Pabna, Rajshahi, Bagerghat and Satkhira have been experiencing extreme hot weather as a "very severe" heatwave is sweeping over the districts
Pet dogs and strays suffer in Asia heatwave
Soaring temperatures across Kolkata have brought life in much of the Indian megacity to a standstill, but veterinarian Partha Das cannot recall a time when he was more busy
Maj Gen Abu Ahmed Zahirul Amin Khan no more
Major General (retd) Abu Ahmed Zahirul Amin Khan passed away at his home in Dhaka today. He was 79
2 endangered Phayre's Leaf Monkey infants rescued in Ctg, trafficker held
Karnaphuli police have arrested a wildlife trafficker with two endangered Phayre's Leaf Monkey infants in Chattogram on Monday night
Modi urges BJP nominees to get more voters to polls following lower turnout
A week before voting in the third phase of India's long-drawn parliamentary elections on May 7, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written letters to BJP candidates asking them to encourage more people to vote as he seeks a rare third tenure
Cut some luxuries to focus on worker welfare, PM tells factory, mill owners
On the occasion of May Day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked owners of mills and factories to cut some luxuries in their lives to pay special attention to labourers' welfare
Bangladesh
Engineer killed as truck rams his bike in Pubail
An engineer was killed this morning after a truck rammed his motorcycle in Gazipur's Pubail area
Comilla University shut indefinitely amid teachers’ demonstration
The authorities of Comilla University have announced the closure of the institution for an indefinite period amid an ongoing demonstration by teachers
Hasan Mahmud to attend OIC Summit in Gambia
Discussions in preparatory meetings dominated by issues related to Palestine
N'ganj steel re-rolling mills / Where lives get 're-rolled' into misery
Workers compelled to work in unsafe conditions with low wages
Four arrested over Natore AL leader's murder
Four people were arrested in connection with the murder of Awami League leader Manjur Rahman Manju, who was shot dead in Lalpur upazila of Natore yesterday, police said.
Khaleda to go to hospital for health check-up this evening
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will visit Evercare Hospital in Dhaka this evening for a health check-up
Historic May Day today: President, PM greet working people
The historic May Day is being observed today in the country and elsewhere across the world in a befitting manner
PM to brief media on Thailand visit tomorrow morning
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address a press briefing on the outcome of her recent Thailand visit tomorrow morning
Asia
19 dead in southern China road collapse: state media
At least 19 people died when part of a highway collapsed in southern China's Guangdong province on Wednesday, state media reported
Heavy April rains / 143 killed in Pakistan
At least 143 people died in Pakistan from lightning strikes and other storm-related incidents in April, with the country receiving more than twice as much rain as usual for the month, officials said yesterday.
Afghanistan / 6 killed in mosque attack
A gunman stormed a mosque in western Afghanistan and killed six people, a government spokesman said yesterday, with local residents claiming the minority Shia community had been targeted.
At least 143 killed in Pakistan's unusually heavy April rains
At least 143 people died in Pakistan from lightning strikes and other storm-related incidents in April, with the country receiving more than twice as much rain as usual for the month, officials said Tuesday
Khalistan slogans at event attended by Trudeau
India summoned the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner yesterday and expressed “deep concern and strong protest” after separatist slogans in support of a Sikh homeland were raised at an event addressed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Setback for Japan PM after by-polls losses
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida faced a fresh setback yesterday after his scandal-hit ruling party lost three parliamentary seats in weekend by-elections.
Inheritance tax cannot remove inequality
Taxing people’s inheritance cannot address inequality and has “never removed poverty”, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told The Times of India newspaper, alleviating fears that such a tax could be imposed if he returns to power after the elections.
Myanmar records hottest ever April temperature of 48.2°C: weather department
Myanmar recorded its hottest ever April temperature of 48.2 degrees Celsius (118.76 Fahrenheit), its weather department said on Monday, as the Southeast Asian nation bakes in a heatwave
World
Police arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters in Columbia University raid
New York City police raided Columbia University late on Tuesday to arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, some of whom had seized an academic building, and to remove a protest encampment the Ivy League school had sought to dismantle for nearly two weeks
G7 to phase out coal power plants by mid-2030s
G7 energy and climate ministers yesterday agreed a timeframe for phasing out coal-fired power plants, setting a goal in the mid-2030s, in a move hailed as significant by some environmentalists but described as “too late” by others.
Hush money trial / Trump fined for violating court order
The New York judge presiding over Donald Trump’s hush money trial yesterday fined the former president for defying a gag order and warned that further violations could result in jail time.
‘Polls disinfo’ / EU probes Facebook, Instagram
The EU yesterday launched an investigation into Meta’s Facebook and Instagram over concerns the platforms are failing to counter disinformation ahead of EU elections in June.
King Charles III resumes public duties
King Charles III yesterday reportedly told fellow cancer patients “I’m well”, as he carried out his first official public engagement since being diagnosed with the condition.
US campuses rage against war
Demonstrators at Columbia University barricaded themselves inside a campus building early yesterday, escalating a standoff with school officials as pro-Palestinian protests upend campuses across the United States.
Rafah offensive ‘with or without’ Gaza truce
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday vowed that the military would launch a ground offensive on Gaza’s far-southern Rafah city “with or without” a truce deal being negotiated with Hamas.
7 Maoist rebels killed in India
At least seven Maoist insurgents were shot dead by Indian security forces yesterday, police told AFP, the latest clash in a decades-long conflict waged in the country’s wild central forests.
News Multimedia
Star Explains / The origins of May Day
As we observe May Day today, let's look into where, when and how the demand for the for the 8-hour work day was first raised
The story of Gaza genocide survivor in Bangladesh
In this exclusive interview with The Daily Star, Kamel provides a painful firsthand account of 170 days of carnage.
Where did the 'dummy' torpedo come from?
An object resembling a torpedo was spotted floating in the water of the Nijkata canal in Rangabali upazila, near Patuakhali's coastline connecting the Bay of Bengal
30 Israeli paratroopers refuse to go to war in Rafah
Israel is preparing a planned ground attack on the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. At least 30 Israeli paratroopers have refused to participate in this battle. This was reported by the Israeli broadcaster 'Channel Twelve'
Rain comes along with hail in Sreemangal
Find out more on today's Star Newsbytes
Schools may run Fridays to make up for closures: Nowfel
Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel today said educational institutions will be kept open on Fridays if needed to finish the syllabus.
Diesel price hiked by Tk 1 per litre, petrol and octane by Tk 2.50
The government has hiked the price of diesel by Tk 1 per litre, and the prices of petrol and octane by Tk 2.50 per litre.
The invisible ones
Of the over 7 crore people employed in Bangladesh, 85 percent (nearly 6 crore) are vulnerable as they work in the informal sector, which lacks basic social and legal protection, and employment benefits.
3 arrested over rape, blackmail of woman
Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) arrested three young men over the rape and blackmail of a woman in Jashore’s Sharsha upazila Monday night.
Eleven die of heatstroke in 9 days: DGHS
Eleven people died of heatstroke across Bangladesh in the last nine days, four of them in the 24 hours preceding 6:00pm yesterday, according to the health directorate.
Mama Hotel: A staple for DU students
It all started at the hands of one Kasim Uddin, who used to sell “khichuri” on a van at the gate of Shahid Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall in the ‘90s.
Ongoing Heatwave: ‘Govt, greed behind current situation’
Unplanned urbanisation is one of the main factors behind rising temperatures in the city, said green activists at a programme yesterday.
No decision on closure of secondary edn institutions yet
The education ministry is yet to decide on keeping the secondary educational institutions shut tomorrow, although the High Court has ordered closure of all primary and secondary schools and madrasas till that day amid the sweltering heat.
Stressed loans in banks to stay high: Moody’s
The stressed loans in the banking sector of Bangladesh will remain elevated even after the central bank tightened the rules for classification of non-performing loans (NPLs), said Moody’s Investors Service.
15pc workers’ consent will be enough to form unions
Law Minister Anisul Haq yesterday said the government is amending the labour law with a provision to form trade unions in factories if 15 percent of the workers give consent.
